Congressional foreign aid allocation of $4.9 billion vetoed by Trump, employing a maneuver last utilized nearly half a century ago
The Trump administration has made a historic move by announcing it will not spend $4.9 billion in congressionally approved foreign aid funds. This decision marks the first time in nearly 50 years a president has used a pocket rescission, a tool to request Congress not to spend approved funds towards the end of the fiscal year.
The funds to be cut are primarily from the State Department and the US Agency for International Development (USAID). The pocket rescission package includes $3.2 billion in development assistance grants, $520 million for the United Nations, $838 million for international peacekeeping operations, and $322 million to encourage democratic values in other countries.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has confirmed that USAID is essentially being shuttered as a result of this decision. The move has drawn immediate backlash in parts of the Senate over its legality.
President Donald Trump announced the decision, citing that the funds won't be spent before the fiscal year ends on September 30. The White House argues that the funding lapses due to the late proposal, as the funds were approved late in the fiscal year.
The Trump administration has made deep reductions to foreign aid one of its hallmark policies. Recently, the administration withdrew its appeal to the Supreme Court to stop lower court decisions that had preserved foreign aid.
This decision by the Republican majority in the U.S. Congress, effective starting with the next yearβs budget draft currently before the Senate, means that for the first time in over five decades, there are no funds for certain public programs.
The move to cut foreign aid has been met with criticism, with some arguing that it could have far-reaching implications for international peacekeeping operations and democratic values in other countries. However, the administration maintains that the funds will not be spent before the end of the fiscal year.
